Graduate Program

As your graduate coordinator, I am excited that you are considering pursuing a Master’s degree in Communication Studies. Whether your background is in communication, journalism, psychology, sociology, public health, family studies or another social science, you will find a Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies adds to your forté and makes you more marketable.

Communication is essential to successful working and interpersonal relationships with others as well as effective leadership and outcomes in your particular job position. Our lives shape (and are shaped) by the ways we communicate with others either face-to-face or through the use of other media (e.g., cell phones, the Internet and social media). You are thinking about making it a life-long pursuit, and Kent State University is prepared to get you started on this journey.

Our graduate program is designed to provide a theory-based approach to these and a variety of other communicative phenomena and help students seek application of their research and education in their chosen fields.

Our graduate program has a long history of producing highly-trained communication scholars who go on to earn doctorate degrees at prestigious universities and remain active in academia or higher education after graduation. We are committed to investing in students who are passionate about theorizing communication issues. We help them explore their intellectual interests. Our alumni work in areas including marketing, public planning, fundraising, event planning, non-profit organizations, sales and campaign teams where research skills and communication knowledge are a plus.

Our graduate program recently developed two new areas of study — Health Communication and Global Communication — to serve the increasing needs of the health services industry and a various other entities in a world marked by globalization. We have several well-known faculty members who specialize in these areas and with whom students can conduct research and study. The other two existing areas of concentration — Mediated/Mass Communication and Interpersonal Communication — have been strengthened by adding new courses to our already cutting edge curriculum.

At Kent State, you will find supportive peers, friendly staff and experienced faculty who will work with you to get you to where you want to be. Our nationally known program gives you the training that will put you on top; it is a demanding program that can fulfill your intellectual curiosity. I encourage you to continue browsing through our website for detailed curriculum descriptions, application requirements, assistantship and financial support opportunities and faculty profiles.